Ibanez 540PIIIHH - Black

made in japan - genesis collectionThe Ibanez 540PIII brings one of the company's most recognisable late-'80s designs back into production as part of the Genesis Collection. Based on the original 540-series guitars, it has the unmistakable angular body shape, Super Wizard neck and Edge tremolo that made this generation of Ibanez guitars such a fixture among players who wanted something built for serious high-performance playing. The current 540PIII is made in Japan and retains plenty of that original character while bringing the specification up to date.

The first thing you'll notice is the body shape. The 540PIII isn't trying to disguise its heritage as a conventional superstrat — the asymmetric Power Series design is very much the point. The basswood body keeps things relatively straightforward and lightweight, while the deeply sculpted heel and body joint give you much less obstruction when you're working your way towards the 24th fret. Then there's the Super Wizard 5-piece maple/walnut neck. At just 17mm thick at the first fret and 19mm at the 12th, it's properly slim, giving the 540PIII the fast, low-profile feel that Ibanez has become known for. The 25.5" scale, 24 jumbo frets and 430mm radius complete a setup that's very much at home with fast single-note playing, legato work and wide stretches high up the neck.

at a glance • Made in Japan Genesis Collection – Japanese-built revival of the distinctive 540-series Power Series design.
• Super Wizard Neck – Slim 5-piece maple/walnut construction with a 17mm first-fret thickness and 24 jumbo frets.
• Infinity R & V8 Humbuckers – HH pickup configuration with five-way switching for everything from full humbucker tones to more cutting split sounds.
• Ibanez Edge Tremolo – Locking tremolo system designed for precise pitch control and reliable tuning stability.
• Classic 540-Series Body – Iconic asymmetric basswood body with deep upper-fret access and unmistakable late-'80s Ibanez styling.

The result is a guitar with plenty of genuine late-'80s Ibanez attitude, but it isn't simply a museum piece. The 540PIII gives you the fast Japanese-made neck, 24-fret layout, versatile HH electronics and serious tremolo system you'd expect from a modern performance guitar, wrapped up in one of the more unusual designs to come out of Ibanez's Power Series era. If you've always fancied one of the classic Japanese 540s, this is about as close as you can get to that experience without hunting down a decades-old original — and if you're new to the model, the 540PIII is a proper reminder that Ibanez was making some seriously forward-thinking guitars long before the modern shred market arrived.

It doesn’t matter what the value of the guitar, if you buy it from us we take extra steps to ensure you are completely satisfied with your instrument. Each guitar goes through a 22 step professional guitar set up process to make sure your new instrument sounds as the manufacturer intended it to play.

This means that your guitar may take an extra day to deliver, just so we can get these checks done. You’ll receive email updates once your guitar is ready for despatch.

We hope you feel it’s worth the extra time and patience we spend on your instrument.

More about our setup Process